


Lumpy's Family Christmas

by sarahgirl1998



Category: Happy Tree Friends
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Comedy, Family, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Humor, Sneezing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27645721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahgirl1998/pseuds/sarahgirl1998
Summary: Lumpy spends his Christmas with his parents, bringing his Pokemon and cats with him. Finished :)





	1. Lumpy's Snow Day

Slowly, ever so slowly, the sun began to rise into view. As it did so, the sky changed from dark blue to a much lighter shade, and the stars slowly disappeared from the sky. Before long, you could hear birds chirping wherever you went.

It was a cold but lovely morning in the forest where the Happy Tree Friends lived, and everything was covered with a blanket of white snow. In one of the houses close to the outskirts of the forest, an elderly male moose was still sleeping in the double bed in one of the bedrooms. When the clock next to him reached seven thirty, however, he slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He took a minute to rub his eyes and yawn into one of his hands, then stepped out of bed.

Lumpward made his way into the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. Once he was done with that, he returned to the bedroom, opened up the dresser and pulled out some clean clothes. He put them on, looking in the mirror a couple of times as he did so, and then headed down the stairs. It took him almost a minute to make it to the last step, but it was alright; it was best for someone his age to take everything slowly.

When Lumpward had made it to the kitchen, however, he saw his wife Marilyn at the table. She had already gotten up earlier than he had, and gotten dressed herself. Now she was at the table, writing something on a piece of paper.

"Hey, Marilyn," Lumpward greeted her.

"Good morning, Lumpward," she replied politely.

"What are you writing?"

"It's a letter to our son, Lumpy," Marilyn stated. "Since the holidays are coming, I'm asking him to come over and stay with us for a few weeks, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I also wanted him to bring his two cats and his Pokemon with him."

Lumpward smiled. "Well, it will be nice having the sonny over," he said.

Marilyn nodded in agreement. As she kept writing, Lumpward made himself a cup of coffee, then sat down on the other side of the table to drink it.

A bit deeper into the forest stood another house, one where a certain blue moose, his two cats and three Pokemon were living. This house belonged to none other than Lumpward and Marilyn's son, Lumpy.

Lumpy was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his breakfast: some waffles with a few strips of bacon. His Pokemon - Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff - were on the floor a few inches away from him, and eating some kibble from their food dishes for breakfast. Close to them were Lumpy's cats, Missie and her kitten Cupcake, who were enjoying cat food from their respective dishes. It amused Lumpy how Cupcake, still young and small, had to put both her front paws on the edges of her food dish so she wouldn't accidentally fall in.

As he was eating, Lumpy looked out the window of the kitchen. He swallowed and gave a little smile.

"Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas this year," said Lumpy.

Not long after he said that, however, his Rockruff stood up, having heard the word Christmas. She went over to Lumpy's seat and looked up at him, tilting her head in confusion.

"Ruff?" she asked.

Lumpy looked down at her and chuckled in mild amusement. "You haven't heard of Christmas before, have you, Rockruff?"

Rockruff shook her head. Lumpy put down his fork and turned to face her, then spoke again.

"It's a holiday that comes once a year, on the month of December," said Lumpy. "It's on the 25th, with Christmas Eve being the day before that."

"On Christmas Day, everyone who's been good gets some presents from someone named Santa Claus. Don't get me wrong, that's one of the best parts of the holiday. But most of us all agree that the real best part of it, is getting to spend some much deserved time with your friends and family."

Rockruff smiled as she listened to Lumpy's words.

"In other words, it's a holiday I get to spend with the people I love," Lumpy finished, "my parents, my cats, my other two Pokemon, and you."

Rockruff blushed in response. She gave a grateful little, "Ruff," to thank Lumpy for his explanation, and then returned to her food bowl so she could keep eating. Lumpy went back to eating his breakfast now that he was done talking.

Once his plate had been cleaned, Lumpy brought it over to the sink to wash it clean. Then he put it in the cupboard for the next time he wanted to use it. It wasn't long after he was done with that, however, that he realized that it had snowed outside. Since he had some time before he had to leave, he decided now would be a good time to play in the snow. But first he had to put some clothes on.

Lumpy went upstairs to his room and put on some winter attire, such as a light blue sweater, matching pants and a red scarf. Then he went back downstairs, seeing that his Pokemon were waiting for him.

"You wanna go play in the snow with me?" Lumpy asked.

Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff all nodded in agreeing excitement. Lumpy smiled at their expression and opened the front door again, this time heading outside. All three of his Pokemon went following him, although Lumpy reached back to close the door behind them once they'd all been outside.

As Lumpy and the Pokemon headed out into the snow, Missie and Cupcake both hopped up onto the window to watch them. Cupcake placed her paw on the window and moved it up and down, trying to open it. She must have wanted to play out in the snow, too.

"Mew? Mew..." Cupcake meowed.

But Missie understood what Cupcake was trying to say and pulled her away from the window with her paw. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to play in such cold weather - at least, not while she was still young. Cupcake sulked, looking disappointed, but nodded in understanding.

Lumpy, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff all played in the snow, in many different ways. Lumpy playfully threw some snowballs at all of his Pokemon, and managed to hit each of them at least once - but not without getting hit by snowballs in return. A few minutes later, Lumpy saw Lillipup and Rockruff rolling around in the snow, making some snow angels as they did so. Lumpy smiled and got down on the ground to make one of his own. It looked nice, but he thought both of his puppy Pokemon had done theirs a bit better.

Lumpy also thought it would be a good idea to make some snowmen. He rolled some snowballs on top of each other, then poked the eyes and nose in with his forefinger. When his Pokemon saw that they were doing this, they rolled some snowballs of their own and stacked them on top of each other. Bunnelby managed to draw the faces with the tips of his ears, to save Lillipup and Rockruff the work of having to jump up to the top snowballs.

After a few minutes, Lumpy and his Pokemon stood back, admiring their finished snowmen. That being said, Lumpy noticed that the sky was turning an orange shade. When he looked up at the sun, he noticed that it was beginning to set into the horizon.

"It's already getting late," Lumpy said to himself. He looked down at his Pokemon. "Alright, guys, time to go back inside."

The Pokemon nodded in understanding and followed him back home. Upon getting there, Lumpy opened the door and let his Pokemon inside. Then he went in, too, but not without shivering and hugging his upper body.

"It sure was cold out here. And it's cold in here, too..."

Almost as soon as he finished saying that, Lumpy felt a tickle in his nose. He reared his head back, his eyelids lowering as his breath hitched.

"Aaah, haah... Haaaah-choo!!"

Then he shot his neck forwards as he released a mild sneeze. With a somewhat audible sniffle, Lumpy rubbed his nose with his forefinger as he sulked.

"Arf," Lillipup barked to bless him.

"Ruff?" Rockruff asked, probably wondering if Lumpy was alright.

"Excuse me..." Lumpy said as he continued to rub his nose. "Sometimes being cold can make me sneeze. But not to worry - I'll switch on the heater so we can warm up."

Lumpy closed the door behind him, then went over to the heater and switched it on. He took a few minutes to warm up, and then took off his winter clothes and put them in the hamper. Just as he finished doing that, his stomach growled.

"I guess all that time out in the snow made me hungry."

Lumpy made his way into the kitchen, then opened up the freezer and pulled out a container of macaroni and cheese. This was what he would have for dinner tonight. He closed the freezer and followed the directions on his macaroni and cheese; he poked some holes in the plastic wrapping, and then put it in the microwave for a few minutes. While he waited, Lumpy pulled a bag of Pokemon kibble out from the cupboard and poured some into his Pokemon's food dishes. By the time all three of them were full, the microwave had gone off, although his dinner wasn't ready to eat yet.

When he returned to the microwave, Lumpy stirred the contents of his macaroni and cheese and heated them up for a few more minutes. He then went back to the cupboard and pulled out some cat food, which he poured into Missie and Cupcake's food dishes. Once he was done with that, he heard the microwave go off again, which meant his dinner was ready.

Lumpy pulled his bowl of macaroni out of the microwave and brought it to the table. As his Pokemon and cats stepped up to their respective dinners to eat theirs, Lumpy took his seat, picked up his fork and began to eat. His macaroni and cheese tasted good, and warmed him up a bit, so he decided to take his time to make it last.

Not long after he'd finished, however, Lumpy gave a yawn into his hand. He picked up his empty container and dropped it in the trash can before he placed his fork in the dishwasher. He then looked over at his pets, all of whom had finished eating.

"Guys?" Lumpy asked, getting their attention. "I'm going to go to bed early tonight. Our playing in the snow has tired me out..." He rubbed his eye gently with his fist. "You can come to bed whenever you like."

Missie, Cupcake, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff all nodded in understanding, and then Lumpy left the kitchen.

The moment he made it up the stairs and into the bathroom was the moment Lumpy went through his usual bedtime routine. He took a warm shower, dried himself off, and brushed his teeth before going into his bedroom. He changed into his pajamas, then climbed into his bed and sighed with contentment. He reached over to switch off the light, and then closed his eyes as he lay his head upon his pillow.

In less than five minutes, Lumpy had fallen asleep. For the rest of the night, he could hear the crickets chirping and the wind blowing outside.


	2. Setting Out

Minutes passed by, a great many minutes, and soon it was morning again. The sun began to rise into the horizon, steadily changing the color of the sky from dark blue to a much lighter shade. Lumpy stayed in his bed, inhaling and exhaling quietly as he was still sleeping. Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff were all sleeping as well, and so were Missie and Cupcake.

However, a small gust of wind from outdoors blew a small feather through the window to Lumpy's bedroom. It flew around for a little bit, but then landed on Lumpy's nose, causing it to tickle. Lumpy winced, but then inhaled as he felt a sneeze coming on.

"Aaaah... Aaaaaah..." Lumpy's snout twitched and his nostrils flared up. A final gasp later, he exploded.

"HAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The moment Lumpy released his sneeze, the feather came flying off his nose and onto the blanket over him. His Pokemon and cats winced when they heard the loud sneeze, but somehow didn't wake up. Lumpy sat up in his bed, rubbing his nose with his forefinger as he looked embarrassed.

"Whoops..." the moose said to himself. "What was it that made me sneeze?"

He looked down at his covers, seeing the feather that had just tickled his nose. He picked it up and put it away for the time being, then looked at his pets.

"Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie, Cupcake?"

The sound of their owner saying their names caused all of them to open their eyes. They stood up, with Bunnelby rubbing his eyes with one of his front legs and Rockruff yawning into one of her paws, and then looked at Lumpy.

"Good morning," Lumpy greeted them. "Uh, sorry if my sneeze woke you up..."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but luckily, none of his pets seemed to mind.

"Let's get you guys some breakfast, okay?"

Lumpy sat on the edge of his bed, and then stepped off. He made his way into the bathroom, where he took a shower and brushed his teeth. Once he was done with that, he put on some clothes that were the same shade of blue as his fur was. It wasn't long after that he made his way down the stairs, with his Pokemon and cats following him from behind.

When Lumpy made it to the bottom, however, he saw an envelope in front of his door. He reached down and picked up the envelope.

"Hm, I wonder who sent me this so early in the morning," Lumpy said to himself. "I'll open it while I'm having my breakfast."

He brought the envelope into the kitchen and placed it on the table. Then he went to the cupboard, pulled out his bag of Pokemon kibble, and filled up the food dishes of Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff with it. Next he pulled out the bag of cat food and filled both Missie and Cupcake's food dishes with it. As he put away the bags and put down the food dishes for his pets, Lumpy made his way to the freezer and opened it up.

After a few moments of pondering, Lumpy pulled out the box of waffles, placed about two of them on a paper plate, and then put the plate in the microwave for a few minutes. He put away the box and made sure he had a clean fork to eat his breakfast with. And as soon as the microwave had gone off, he pulled out the plate, then brought it over to the table.

While he was eating his waffles, however, Lumpy remembered the envelope that he'd placed close to him. He couldn't help but wonder who it was from. So he reached over, picked it up and opened it, as carefully as he could so he wouldn't cut himself. Inside was a letter that he read aloud.

"Dear Lumpy, how have you been doing? Since the holidays are coming, I wrote this letter to ask if you'd like to stay with me and your father for a few weeks," Lumpy read. "We were hoping you could spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us as well. And it would be nice if you could bring your Pokemon and cats with you, too; I haven't seen them in quite a while. See you soon, darling, with love from Mom."

"Wow!" Lumpy said to himself. "It's one thing that my mom wants me to spend Christmas with her and Dad, but with my pets, too?!"

He looked down at his pets, all of whom looked up at him in curiosity. "Did you hear that, guys? You get to come with me to my parents' house this Christmas!"

Lillipup, Bunnelby and Cupcake were all delighted to hear the news. Rockruff gave a few barks of joy, while Missie nodded in understanding - probably because she knew she would have to go into the pet carrier.

Lumpy then put down his letter and thought for a moment. Something else had occurred to him: since Christmas was on the way, that meant he would have to go shopping for gifts to give to his parents, Pokemon and cats. It wasn't something he wasn't looking forward to doing, it was just a yearly task that happened to be on the way. And if he had to buy his loved ones gifts, then that was what he would do today.

After Lumpy had finished his waffles, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, then got up, went upstairs and went into his bedroom. It was still pretty cold outside, so he would have to bundle up before he could go shopping. So Lumpy put on a little knit cap and a light blue scarf, as well as some red socks and his snow boots, before finally retrieving his wallet and his smartphone.

When he'd made it back down the stairs and in front of the door, he saw his pets approaching. Lillipup came into the room first, then Bunnelby and Rockruff, and finally Missie, who was carrying Cupcake with her.

"By?" Bunnelby asked, wanting to know where Lumpy was going.

"Guys, I'm going shopping for a little bit," Lumpy told him as well as Lillipup and Rockruff. "As for what... well, it's a secret, and I think it's best that you all stay home until I come back."

The Pokemon all nodded in understanding, and then Lumpy looked over at Missie.

"Missie, I'll be back in a couple of hours. Keep an eye on Cupcake, okay?"

"Mew," Missie replied with a nod.

Lumpy smiled, picked up his car keys, then opened the door and headed out of the house, with all three of his Pokemon and both of his cats watching him leave.

The moose made his way out to the car, opened one of the doors and stepped into the driver's seat. He placed one of the car keys into the slot, pulled out of the driveway and drove away from his house. A few minutes of driving later, he arrived at the store, so he killed the engine and stepped out of the car.

Lumpy went into the store, turning his head this way and that as he looked at the large variety of items for sale. He bought some presents for his mother and father first, then some gifts for Missie and Cupcake, and finally some presents for Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff. It was a good thing he'd gotten his paycheck a few days beforehand so he could pay for all of these.

About an hour later, Lumpy brought everything he'd purchased back out into the car. He then got in, put his car key back into the slot to start the engine, and drove away from the store. A few more minutes passed, and soon he had returned home. After Lumpy had killed the engine, he brought his bags into the house and into his bedroom. He also retrieved some red and green wrapping paper, some tape, some nametags and a pencil. It wasn't until after he'd closed the door that he went over to his dresser and got to work, wrapping up every one of the presents he'd brought. He made sure to address who they belonged to on every one of the nametags as well, and finally slipped the presents into a large bag.

"Phew." Lumpy wiped his forehead with his hand as he gave a sigh of relief. "Am I glad all of this is done. Now I just have to get ready to go to my mom and dad's house."

He pulled out his pajamas from his drawer, then folded them up and put them in a suitcase. They hadn't been washed, but they were good for a few more wears, and he could probably wash them at his parents' house without too much trouble. He also packed his toothbrush and some of his winter clothes that he wasn't currently wearing. The Pokeballs where Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff were supposed to go were packed in as well, and so was the cat bed that belonged to Missie and Cupcake. Now all he had to do was let his pets know it was time to leave.

Lumpy brought his suitcase downstairs and placed it close to the front door. Then he went into the living room, wiping his forehead with his hand as he did so. Missie, Cupcake, and all of his Pokemon were sitting on the couch when he arrived.

"Guys?" Lumpy asked. "It's almost time to go."

Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff stepped off the couch, and Missie and Cupcake did so as well. The latter two winced in fear, however, when Lumpy brought out the pet carrier.

"Look, I know there's not much to do in here," Lumpy told Missie, "but it's not so bad. You'll only be in there for a few minutes... So would you go inside, please?"

Missie looked at him with visible reluctance, but then nodded and made her way into the pet carrier. Cupcake followed suit with a few unsteady steps. Lumpy smiled and closed the door of the pet carrier with them inside.

"Good kitties," said Lumpy.

Lumpy took the pet carrier out into the car, placing it in the front seat next to the driver's seat. Less than a minute later, he'd also gotten his suitcase in the car, as well as his bag of presents from upstairs. Then he went back inside to let his Pokemon know it was time to leave.

"Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff?" Lumpy asked. "It's time to head out into the car."

The Pokemon nodded in understanding and hopped off the couch. Then they followed Lumpy outside, where he opened up the door that led to the back seat. Lillipup went in first, then Bunnelby, and finally Rockruff. Lumpy fastened their seatbelts for them and closed the door before he got behind the wheel.

Lumpy placed his car keys in the slot, then started the engine before he pulled out of the parking lot. At last, he drove away from his house.

All of Lumpy's pets were quiet and considerate on the way to Lumpy's parents' house. Missie and Cupcake licked themselves and one another, while Lillipup and Rockruff turned their heads this way and that, and Bunnelby occasionally brought up a paw to scratch his ear. Lumpy brought his hand up to the dial on the radio and switched it on to listen to the news.

"And now for the weather report," a reporter said. "We're expected to have a blizzard during the night, with thunder and lightning. All citizens are advised to stay indoors until it passes."

The news gave the Pokemon and cats some worried expressions, but Lumpy's response calmed them all down.

"Good thing we'll be safe inside long before that happens," said Lumpy.

About half an hour later, Lumpy's car arrived at his parents' house. He killed the engine, then stepped out of the car before he undid his Pokemon's seatbelts. He brought his bag of presents, suitcase and pet carrier out of the car; the handles on his bag of presents went hanging on his arm so he could hold both the pet carrier and his suitcase. Then he made his way up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Almost a minute had gone by before the door opened, revealing Marilyn.

"Hi, Mom!" Lumpy greeted her.

"Why, hello, Lumpy!" Marilyn replied, a smile upon her face.

She gave Lumpy a big hug as well as a kiss, after which she noticed Lumpy's Pokemon had arrived as well. She bent down and petted each of them on the tops of their heads to greet them as well.

"And hello there, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff," Marilyn went on. She stood back up to look at Lumpy. "It's so good to see you all. Why don't you come in out of the cold?"

Lumpy did as he was told, and his Pokemon followed suit. Now that Lumpy was indoors, he made his way into the living room and set the pet carrier down. He unlocked it and opened the door, allowing Missie and Cupcake to come out.

"And hello, Missie and Cupcake," Marilyn greeted them. She went over to them, petting Missie's back before picking up Cupcake for a hug. As she did this, Lumpy placed the presents from his bag underneath the Christmas tree that happened to be close to them.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and unpack," said Lumpy after he'd finished emptying his bag. "You don't mind if I do that, do you, Mom?"

"Of course not, sweetie," Marilyn said. "Go right ahead. Your dinner will be on the table by the time you come back down."

Lumpy nodded in understanding and went upstairs, holding his suitcase in his hand. When he got to the second floor, he opened one of the doors, revealing his bedroom from when he was a child. Lumpy smiled.

"Oh, this takes me back," he said quietly.

The moose went over to his bed, where he set down his suitcase before opening it to unpack. He set his cats' pet bed down close to the bed as he did so. It was a good thing he decided to bring some of his pets' things so they could feel more at home. By the time he had finished, Marilyn called for him.

"Lumpy, darling! It's dinner time!"

Upon hearing her, Lumpy brought his pets' food dishes out of his suitcase and brought them out of the bedroom, as well as downstairs. When he got to the kitchen, he set the food dishes down where his pets could get to them, and his mother took an extra minute to fill them up. As the Pokemon and cats gathered around their food bowls to eat their dinners, Lumpy sat down at the table with his mother.

As they began to eat, however, Lumpy noticed his father's chair was empty. "Hey, Mom, where's Dad?"

"He left to go Christmas shopping before you arrived," said Marilyn, and Lumpy nodded in understanding. "So how have you been, Lumpy?"

"I've been alright," Lumpy replied. "Yesterday I told my Rockruff what Christmas is, since she didn't know what it was at the time."

"She didn't?" Marilyn looked a bit surprised.

"Yeah, but I'm glad she knows what it is now."

Marilyn smiled. "Well, so am I. It's a bit unheard of for someone to not know what Christmas is."

A few minutes later, they were finished eating. Lumpy helped his mother clear the table and do the dishes. Not long after they were done, however, Lumpy looked up at the clock. It was almost nine at night.

"Hmm, it's getting late," Lumpy acknowledged. He then yawned into his hand, rather cutely. "I'm gonna go to bed, Mom."

"Alright, dear. Good night, Lumpy, I love you." Marilyn kissed Lumpy on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"Good night, Mom." Lumpy then made his way up the stairs, with Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff following him from behind. Missie followed him as well, holding Cupcake's neck with her mouth.

In Lumpy's childhood bedroom, Lumpy changed into his pajamas and moved his suitcase off his bed. His Pokemon jumped up onto his bed and made themselves comfortable, with Lillipup and Rockruff spinning a bit on the covers before they lay down. Missie and Cupcake, on the other hand, stepped into their cat bed as Lumpy stepped into his own bed.

"I have a feeling I'm gonna have a great time here with my parents," Lumpy said, pulling the edge of his covers over himself. "Don't you think so, guys?"

All of his pets nodded in unison, and Lumpy smiled. He then gave another yawn into his hand.

"Good night, guys."

Lumpy lay his head down gently upon his pillow and switched off the light next to him. Barely a minute after he'd closed his eyes, he fell asleep. For the rest of the night onward, Lumpy could hear the wind blowing outside as well as a bit of thunder - but it didn't bother him. Besides, at least he, his Pokemon and his cats were safe in here.


	3. Christmas Eve

During the night, however, the weather report proved to be correct. The wind was howling loudly, and lightning was flashing as thunder roared loudly. Lumpy's Pokemon were tossing and turning on his bed, unable to sleep from the noise. How was their trainer able to handle all of this without so much as wincing?

Bunnelby whined a bit as he pulled down his ears with his front paws, shaking his head in irritation. Rockruff had her paws to her ears, too, but she also had an idea. Despite that she couldn't speak English, she suggested the idea of counting sheep to Lillipup and Bunnelby, and they nodded. They all closed their eyes and tried to imagine sheep - or sheep Pokemon. Either one of them would do.

"Arf... arf... arf..." said Lillipup.

"By... By..." said Bunnelby.

None of them were keeping track of how many sheep they'd counted, but it helped distract them from the noise the blizzard was making. And in a couple of minutes, all of them had fallen asleep, just like Lumpy was.

Minutes passed by, a great many minutes. Finally it was morning, Christmas Eve morning. Although Lumpy was still sleeping at first, he slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes gently with his fists and yawned quietly into one of his hands. When he looked down at his Pokemon and cats, he saw they were all still asleep.

As quietly as he could, Lumpy stepped out of his bed and made his way into the bathroom. He brought his toothbrush from home there. Then he proceeded to brush his teeth, and washed his face afterwards.

When Lumpy was done washing up and returned to his bedroom, he saw his pets waking up. He smiled.

“Good morning, guys,” said Lumpy. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie and Cupcake all nodded, which made Lumpy keep his smile. He went over to his suitcase and got dressed, only speaking again when he was done doing that.

“Let’s see if my mom and dad have gotten up yet,” Lumpy said.

His Pokemon climbed off his bed, and Missie and Cupcake stepped out of the cat bed. Then they followed Lumpy out of his bedroom and down the stairs. When they got to the living room, Lumpy heard a familiar male voice.

"Good morning, sonny."

Lumpy turned to where he'd heard the voice, finding his father Lumpward on the couch. Lumpy smiled.

"Good morning, Dad," he greeted him.

Lumpward looked down at Lumpy's pets and greeted them as well. "And good morning, little guys. How are ya?"

"I'm alright, and so are my pets," Lumpy replied. Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie and Cupcake made their way over to the couch and climbed up onto it.

"That's good. Marilyn told me you came here yesterday, right after I'd gone Christmas shopping."

"Yeah, Mom told me that last part, too," said Lumpy. "By the way, where is she?"

"She's in the kitchen making our breakfast," replied Lumpward. "And she told me yesterday you were sleeping in your bedroom from when you were a kid. How'd it feel being in there after so many years?"

"It felt very nice," Lumpy said. "By the way, I also told my Rockruff what Christmas is, since she didn't know what it was."

Lumpward gained an expression of surprise. "She didn't? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Yeah, and Mom couldn't believe it, either," Lumpy went on. "But I'm glad my Rockruff knows what it is now."

"So am I," Lumpward said.

A few minutes later, Lumpward and Lumpy went into the kitchen for breakfast. They saw that Marilyn was at the stove, cooking pancakes. Lumpy brought out his bag of Pokemon kibble, and filled up his Pokemon's food dishes with it before filling Missie and Cupcake's food dishes with cat food. As the pets gathered around their dishes to eat, Lumpy and his family sat at the table to enjoy their breakfasts.

"Mom, Dad?" Lumpy asked, making sure to swallow before he spoke. "What are we going to do today, since it's Christmas Eve?"

Marilyn swallowed as well before replying. "Well, your father and I were planning to do the things you did when you were a child and lived here."

Lumpy smiled and thought back to his childhood. He remembered when he and his parents had spent their Christmas Eves watching holiday movies, and making cookies for themselves as well as Santa. As he came back to, he smiled at both of his parents.

"That is a wonderful idea," said Lumpy.

"Oh, and Lumpy?" Marilyn then asked. "Do you suppose you could bring your pets back here every Christmas from here on out?"

Lumpy took a long minute to think about that, and then nodded. "Sure!"

Marilyn and Lumpward were both surprised, but then smiled.

"Oh, lovely," said Marilyn. "Thank you, darling."

Rockruff then placed one of her paws on Lumpy's leg. When he turned to look at her, she was tilting her head in curiosity.

"Ruff?" Rockruff asked.

"Oh, who's Santa?" Lumpy translated. "He's a magical man who lives at the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, he rides a flying sleigh with the help of reindeer, all to deliver presents to everyone around the world - everyone who's been good, anyway.

"Rockruff?" Rockruff asked once again. Bunnelby answered her question for her.

"By."

"Well, bad people do get coal, yes," Lumpy said. "Although there's always the chance they won't get anything at all, too. But none of us have been bad, so we don't have to worry."

Rockruff gave a smile as she nodded in understanding.

It wasn't long afterward that Missie took Cupcake into the living room. She climbed onto the couch, put her down, then sat down and started grooming herself. A few minutes later, Lumpward entered the living room, turned on the TV and sat down on the couch. Cupcake, upon seeing the TV, asked Missie what is was through her mews; Missie's meows translated to, "It's a kind of box that shows pictures that can move. People sit and watch it every day."

Cupcake then saw Lumpward sitting next to them. She then mewed a little question to Missie, and she nodded in response; Lumpward was a nice moose, after all. Cupcake went over to Lumpward and climbed onto his lap. Upon seeing this, Lumpward smiled and stroked her.

"I don't know who your dad is," Lumpward said to himself, "but your mother is such a lucky cat to be blessed with a kitten."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Lumpy was helping his mother make Christmas cookies.

"So how have you been doing, Lumpy?" Marilyn asked.

"I've been doing very well," said Lumpy. "That, and my friend Sniffles has been using me as a subject in his tickle and sneeze experiments."

Hearing that caused Marilyn to laugh a bit. She then took a cookie cutter that happened to be the shape of a Christmas tree, and cut four tree shapes from the dough that was in front of her. She then placed the tree shapes on a tray, where four star-shaped pieces of dough were sitting. Then she placed the tray into the oven and set a timer for thirty minutes.

Lumpy then took a look at the mixing bowl, which was now empty but now had quite a few stains of cookie dough on the inside of it. He picked it up and placed it on the floor. Upon seeing it, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff went over to the bowl and started licking the contents out of it. The looks on their faces indicated that the taste of the cookie dough was simply delicious, and Lumpy chuckled in amusement.

A half-hour passed, and Marilyn put on some oven mitts before she pulled the cookies out of the oven. Lumpy didn't have to breathe through his nose to smell their lovely scent.

"These cookies are very hot," Marilyn said. "We'll have to leave them to cool so we can put icing and sprinkles on them."

Lumpy nodded in understanding and walked out of the kitchen. He made his way into the living room and sat down on the easy chair. When he saw his father with Cupcake, he smiled.

"How are the cookies coming along?" Lumpward asked.

"They're coming along fine. But Mom just took them out of the oven," Lumpy said, "so I'm waiting for them to cool down."

"Alright," Lumpward said with a nod of understanding.

Meanwhile, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff had entered Lumpward and Marilyn's bedroom, sitting on their bed. In their own unique language that wasn't understandable except to themselves and other Pokemon, they discussed what they wanted Santa to bring them for Christmas tonight. Lillipup said he wanted a squeaky red ball with yellow bones on it, and Bunnelby said he wanted a toy carrot. And when Rockruff said she wanted a stuffed animal, Lillipup and Bunnelby looked at her in curiosity - which then turned to a smile when she added she wanted to sleep with it at night.

Soon it was starting to get late. Lumpy headed back into the kitchen for dinner, but he made sure to bring his Pokemon and cats from upstairs so they could have dinner, too. After his pets' food dishes had been filled, Lumpy sat down at the table with his parents to eat.

"How much did you enjoy your Christmas Eve here, darling?" Marilyn asked.

"It was really nice, Mom," said Lumpy. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, too."

Marilyn smiled in response as she and her family continued to eat their dinner. When they were finished, Marilyn got up to clear the table and do the dishes, while Lumpy helped her out as he had yesterday.

A few hours passed, and soon it was nine at night again. Lumpy went upstairs to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth. Once he was done with that, he headed into his bedroom and changed into his pajamas. Then he crawled into his bed, making himself comfortable.

"I have a feeling tomorrow's gonna be the best Christmas ever," said Lumpy. He looked down at Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie and Cupcake. "Are you guys looking forward to seeing what Santa will bring us?"

All five of his pets nodded in response, and Lumpy smiled.

"So am I."

"Arf?" Lillipup then asked.

"Don't worry, Lillipup, I made sure to leave Santa some milk and cookies," Lumpy reassured him. "It's a little thank you gift for whatever he brings us."

Lillipup nodded in response, and then Lumpy yawned into his hand.

"Good night, guys."

He went over to his light and switched it off, filling the room with darkness. He then lay his head upon his pillow and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Before long, his Pokemon and cats had fallen asleep, too. From that point onward, they could hear the wind blowing and crickets chirping outside.


	4. Christmas Day

That same night was much quieter than the night before, and all of the Pokemon, both of the cats and Lumpy were sleeping peacefully. At midnight, however, Rockruff heard something and opened her eyes. It sounded like sleigh bells landing on the roof of the house, followed not long after by footsteps. Lillipup and Bunnelby's eyes opened, too, and the three of them looked up at the ceiling.

"Arf?" Lillipup asked quietly, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Bunnel, Bunnelby," Bunnelby replied.

Lillipup and Rockruff nodded in response, and then they climbed off of Lumpy's bed. They made their way out of his bedroom, as slowly and carefully as they could so they wouldn't wake up Lumpy. Then they went down the stairs, one step after another, until they were at the doorway to the living room. They peeked inside and winced in surprise, with Rockruff putting her front paw over her mouth.

And there he was, eating the cookies and drinking the milk that Lumpy had left for him. None of the Pokemon could see his face at this position, but they could tell Santa was enjoying the snack. When he was finished, he reached into his bag and put quite a few presents underneath the tree. Before the witnessing puppies and rabbit knew it, Santa had made his way back up the chimney. The Pokemon looked at each other in disbelief, and then quietly rushed back up the stairs.

Once they were back in Lumpy's bedroom, they made their way up to the window and looked up. They could see Santa flying away from the house on his sleigh, pulled by his flying reindeer, and he disappeared into the night sky.

Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff all looked at each other, then smiled and climbed back onto Lumpy's bed. Lumpy was still sleeping, having no clue what his Pokemon had seen. Satisfied, the Pokemon made themselves comfortable and went back to sleep.

Minutes passed by, a great many minutes. Soon the sun began to rise into the sky, changing it from its dark blue color to a much lighter shade. Before long, you could hear birds chirping wherever you went. It was now Christmas morning.

Almost as soon as the clock had reached seven, Lumpy slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He yawned into his hand and rubbed his eyes, an excited smile upon his face. He then looked over at his Pokemon and cats, seeing they were still sleeping.

"Guys? Guys, wake up," Lumpy said gently, "it's Christmas morning."

All of his pets opened their eyes and sat up to look at him. Lillipup made his way up to him and gave a couple of barks, explaining what he saw last night.

"Wait, what? Santa came? And you, Bunnelby and Rockruff saw him?!" Lumpy asked, and Lillipup nodded. "Wow! You're some really lucky Pokemon, guys!"

"By the way, I should get ready for the day." Lumpy sat on the edge of the bed, and then stepped off.

Lumpy made his way out of the bedroom and headed into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, then returned to the bedroom to put some clothes on. Once he was done with that, he looked at his pets once more.

"Let's go downstairs and see if my parents are up yet."

Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie and Cupcake nodded in response. Then the six of them made their way out of the bedroom and headed down the stairs. They looked in the living room, but nobody was there - but Lumpy did see a pile of presents underneath the tree.

"Bunnel, Bunnelby?" Bunnelby asked Lumpy.

"My parents are probably still sleeping," said Lumpy. He looked a tad disappointed, but not too much so. "The best thing to do is be patient and wait for them to come downstairs before we open our presents."

His Pokemon nodded in understanding. Lumpy went over to the couch, sat down on it, then picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

Upstairs in Lumpward and Marilyn's bedroom, both of Lumpy's parents were still sleeping in their bed. After a few minutes had gone by, however, Marilyn slowly opened her eyes. She sat up in bed, yawning and stretching quietly, and then looked over at Lumpward. He was still sleeping, so Marilyn stepped out of bed and headed into the bathroom. She took a few minutes to wash up, and then returned to the bedroom to put some clothes on. Lumpward was still sleeping, so she decided to leave him to wake up whenever he felt like it. Marilyn made her way out of the bedroom and went down the stairs, wondering to herself if Lumpy and his pets had gotten up yet.

When she got there, she noticed Lumpy still watching TV. He looked up at her with a smile.

"Good morning, darling," Marilyn greeted him, smiling as well, "and Merry Christmas."

"Good morning, Mom. And Merry Christmas to you, too," Lumpy replied.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, I did," said Lumpy. "And apparently, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff told me that they saw Santa come to our house last night."

Marilyn gasped in surprise. "Oh, my goodness!"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself," Lumpy went on. "And by the way, where's Dad?"

"He's still sleeping," said Marilyn. She bent over to pick Lillipup up and hold him in her arms. "But as soon as he wakes up and comes downstairs, we'll open our presents."

"Sounds good," Lumpy said with a nod of understanding.

A few minutes went by, and Lumpward finally opened his eyes. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he yawned into one of his hands. When he looked over at the window, he saw that the light had come in; it was Christmas morning. Lumpward stepped out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom to wash up. It took him a couple of minutes, but soon he was done with that, and returned to the bedroom to put some clothes on. Then he went downstairs, wondering to himself if his wife and son were up yet.

When he'd gotten there, the first thing he saw was Lumpy with his pets on the couch. Lumpy looked up at his father with a smile.

"Good morning, Dad," said Lumpy. "Merry Christmas."

Lumpward smiled. "Good morning, sonny, and Merry Christmas," he replied. "Hey, where's your mother?"

"She went into the kitchen to make us breakfast before we open presents," Lumpy said. "Oh, and Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff told me they saw Santa come here last night."

"Did they?!" Lumpward couldn't believe it. "Well, I'll be darned!"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself," Lumpy replied. "I'm kind of glad they did, though; they're quite lucky Pokemon."

In the kitchen, Marilyn had finished making her breakfast as well as Lumpy's and Lumpward's. This morning, they were going to have some eggs with sausage and bacon. Lumpy headed into the kitchen to fill up his Pokemon's food dishes as well as his cats' food dishes, watching as his pets gathered around their bowls to enjoy their breakfast. Then Lumpy and his parents sat down at the table and began to eat.

"Hey, Mom and Dad?" Lumpy started. "What do you want to do after we're done opening our presents?"

Marilyn gave Lumpy a smile before she replied. "We're planning on doing the things we did on this day when you were a child," she said, "watching a Christmas movie and drinking hot chocolate."

Lumpy smiled as well. "That is a great idea."

A few minutes went by, and soon everyone had finished eating. They returned to the living room, all ready for opening their presents.

"As excited as I am to see what Santa brought me," Lumpy said to his parents, "I think I'd rather you open your gifts first. I want you to see what I've gotten you."

"Very well, darling," Marilyn replied. Then she turned to Lumpward. "Why don't you go first, Lumpy?"

"Well, alright," replied Lumpward.

Lumpward brought both of his presents from Lumpy out from under the tree, and opened them one by one. The first gift was a T-shirt that read, "The Best Father in the World," and a coffee mug that had a picture of a mouse on it.

Lumpward looked over at Lumpy, then gave him a big hug. "Lumpy, thank you so, so much for these gifts!"

Lumpy winced in surprise, but hugged him as well. "You're welcome, Dad."

While they were hugging, Marilyn felt a light tap on her back. She looked down to see Bunnelby, who was looking at her in curiosity.

"Bunnelby?" he asked.

"Yes, Lumpy has received hugs from his father," Marilyn replied. "Ever since he was a child."

After almost a minute had gone by, Lumpward let go of Lumpy. It wasn't long after that Marilyn opened her presents as well. To her surprise and happiness, Lumpy had gotten her a bottle of a perfume, and a coffee mug that had a picture of a butterfly on it.

"Oh, Lumpy!" said Marilyn in joy. She looked over at him and gave him a great, big hug. "Thank you so, so much for these gifts!"

Lumpy again winced in surprise, but also smiled and hugged his mother in return. "You're welcome, Mom."

"Well, now that both of us have opened our presents," Marilyn said as she let go of Lumpy, "why don't you open your presents from Santa?"

"That is a great idea, Mom," Lumpy said.

Lumpy then went ahead and opened his presents, one by one, and took a minute to comprehend exactly which ones he'd gotten. To his surprise and happiness, he'd gotten a DVD of the first three Wallace and Gromit short films (he could vaguely remember watching them on TV a couple of times), a DVD of Seth Macfarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, a copy of Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch, a copy of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy for the same system, and a DVD of The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie.

Aside from those, however, there were two other gifts he received that made him particularly happy. Those gifts were a copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch, and a DVD of the first season of Harvey Street Kids.

"O-oh my goodness..." Lumpy said to himself, his eyes sparkling in disbelief.

Marilyn went over to Lumpy to have a look at the last two gifts he'd gotten. Her eyes widened with disbelief.

"Oh, Lumpy!" said Marilyn. "You must be one lucky moose to receive a new Animal Crossing game, let alone a DVD of your favorite cartoon series!"

"You sure are," Lumpward replied in agreement. "I bet it'll be forever before people in the real world start getting DVDs of that show..."

"What show, Harvey Street Kids?" Lumpy asked, and his father nodded. But Lumpy just smiled again. "Well, yes, I am one lucky moose to have a DVD of it. It's one of my number one favorite shows ever."

"Well, I'm happy you like your gifts, Lumpy," Marilyn went on with a smile. "And I'm also happy that you're happy."

"So am I," agreed Lumpward.

"By the way, I'm just wondering, but do you have a gift for me, Mom?" Lumpy wanted to know.

"Why, yes, we do," Marilyn said, "but it'll come later."

Lumpy nodded in understanding, and then picked out the gifts that he'd wrapped for his pets. One by one, he handed them to Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff, and they opened them up. Lillipup received a squeaky bone toy, Bunnelby received a soft carrot toy, and Rockruff received a soft bone toy.

All three of the Pokemon were surprised at first, but then their expressions turned to joy.

"You like your gifts from me, guys?" Lumpy wanted to know.

Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff all nodded, and then jumped into his arms for a hug of gratitude. Lumpy smiled and hugged them all in return, while Marilyn giggled to herself in adoration. The look on Lumpward's face indicated that he thought this was cute and sweet, too.

When the Pokemon were finished hugging Lumpy, they hopped out of his arms and went to open their gifts from Santa next. It turned out, Lillipup had received a squeaky red ball with yellow bones on it, Bunnelby had received a toy carrot, and Rockruff had received a stuffed lion toy. All three of them were as delighted as they were when Lumpy had given them their presents.

Missie and Cupcake were next to open their presents, and they started with the ones that were from Lumpy. Missie was delighted to find a bag of chicken-flavored biscuits, and Cupcake was very happy to find a stuffed toy mouse with a bell in it.

"Do you like what I got you?" Lumpy asked.

"Meow," Missie and Cupcake replied in unison, along with a nod that confirmed that they did.

Lumpy smiled to himself. "I'm glad you do."

Now that all of the presents had been opened, Lumpy offered to throw away the excess wrapping paper. He gathered as much of it as he could hold until it was all in his hands, and then brought it outside to the recycling can. After dropping it in, he made his way back to the house - only for a snowball to hit him on the way.

"Hey, who threw that?" Lumpy asked, placing his hand where the snowball had hit him.

He turned his head this way and that, trying to find who had thrown the snowball at him. He couldn't see anyone, however, so he just shrugged it off and went back into his parents' house.

Once he'd closed the door behind him, Lumpy went into the living room and sat down on the easy chair. Lumpward was on the couch close to him.

"So, sonny," Lumpward started, "how have you been doing in the Happy Tree Friends forest?"

"Things have been going very well for me," said Lumpy. "And Sniffles has been using me as a test subject for his experiments."

"What kind of experiments?" Lumpward wanted to know.

"Sneezing and tickling, mostly," Lumpy replied.

Lumpward laughed a bit. "I don't blame that anteater," he stated. "Not when I know how sneezy and ticklish you are..."

Lumpy blushed, a bit embarrassed.

Meanwhile, in Marilyn's study room, Lillipup, Bunnelby and Rockruff were playing with their presents. Lillipup asked Rockruff if she'd enjoyed her first Christmas, and she not only said yes, but said yes with a big smile on her face. Acknowledging that made Lillipup and Bunnelby smile as well.

A while later, Lumpy was in the kitchen, helping his mother make the family's Christmas dinner.

"Hey, Mom? I have a question," Lumpy said.

"What is it, darling?" Marilyn asked.

"I'm not trying to sound rude or upset or anything, but why didn't you have any presents for me or my pets this year?" asked Lumpy.

"Actually, Lumpy," Marilyn started, "we do have some presents for you and your pets. But the thing is, we're going to give them to you when you least expect it."

"Oh, okay." Lumpy nodded in understanding.

A few minutes later, dinner was ready, so Lumpy and his parents sat down to eat. While they were enjoying their meal, Missie stayed in the living room, grooming Cupcake. The kitten took a deep breath and sighed to herself as she looked out the window, watching the falling snow.

"Mew?" Cupcake asked. "Mew?" She wanted to know why her mother wouldn't let her play in the snow.

"Maow," Missie replied. She'd stated that Cupcake was too young to play in the snow, and besides, it would be too cold for a kitten as small as her.

"Mew." Cupcake nodded in understanding, and Missie continued to groom her.

Soon Lumpy and his parents had finished their dinner. A few minutes after they'd cleared the table, they were sitting on the couch, drinking some hot chocolate and watching the How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon from 1966. Lumpy couldn't help but notice, however, that all three of his Pokemon had fallen asleep, cuddling their presents. Cupcake had fallen asleep as well, and Missie was grooming her.

"They must've been tired out from all this Christmas Day fun," Lumpy said to himself.

"Lumpy, darling?" Marilyn asked, and Lumpy turned his head to look at her. "Have you enjoyed celebrating Christmas with me and your father this year?"

"Yes, I have," Lumpy replied with a smile, "and I'm looking forward to celebrating the New Year with you, too."

Marilyn and Lumpward both smiled, knowing their son meant every word.

Later that night, long after the funny and heartwarming animated special had ended, Lumpy lay in his childhood bed in his childhood bedroom. He had a contented smile on his face.

"What a great Christmas I've had with my family," Lumpy said to himself.

Just as he finished saying that, however, he heard his phone ring. He reached over to pick it up, then pressed the Talk button and held the phone in front of his face.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Lumpy!" Sniffles greeted him.

"Oh, hi, Sniffles," Lumpy greeted him in return. "Why are you calling me so late?"

"Sorry, buddy, I just wanted to know how your Christmas has been," Sniffles replied.

Lumpy smiled and spoke. "I've had a wonderful Christmas with my mom and dad."

"That's great." Sniffles smiled as well, even though Lumpy couldn't see him doing so. "And how have your Pokemon and cats been doing?"

Lumpy looked over at Lillipup, Bunnelby, Rockruff, Missie and Cupcake. They were all asleep. He turned back to his phone.

"They're all tired out from their Christmas with us," Lumpy replied. His response made Sniffles laugh. "And how has your Christmas been?"

"My Christmas has been great, too, thank you," Sniffles replied. "My parents came over, and I spent the whole day with them. We had so much fun!"

"That's nice," Lumpy replied with a smile. He suddenly yawned quietly, but made sure to cover his mouth with his hand. "I'm gonna go to sleep now. It's late."

"Okay, I understand," said Sniffles. "See you at work in January. Good night, Lumpy, and Merry Christmas."

"Thanks. You, too."

With that, Sniffles hung up, and Lumpy did the same. He placed his phone on his end table, and then switched off the light. He lay back down in his bed, gave another cute yawn into his hand, and closed his eyes. In less than an hour, he had fallen into a deep sleep. This had been one of the best Christmases Lumpy had ever had, and he was looking forward to celebrating it with his parents again next year.

Unbeknownst to the sleeping moose, one of Santa's reindeer was watching him from the bedroom window. He could tell that Lumpy had enjoyed his Christmas, and he was happy to have helped Saint Nick make this year's holidays possible.

"Happy Christmas to all," said the reindeer, "and to all, a good night."

He then turned around, put a spring to his step and flew off into the snowy night. From that point onward, Lumpy, his pets and his family could hear the wind blowing and crickets chirping outside.

The End


End file.
